With a podcast like Church Disrupted, it would be really easy to get out of line fast! We are brutally honest. We talk about painfully tough issues. And we expose a lot sinful things that are often hidden in church circles.
At the end of the day though, we love Jesus and love the Church. We want to steward this platform well, so here are eight rules we adopted to keep us on mission and in line.
At Church Disrupted, honesty isn't just wanted, it's expected! We don't couch our opinions with phrases like "Honstely," Can I be honest," or "let me be honest for a second." At least we try not to. Honesty is our superpower, and we do everything we can to speak authentically and without hesitation about what we see in the church. Good, bad, or ugly, we are going to talk about it without feeling the need to clean it up.
As much as people wish we would, we don't name names. Most of the time, we do our best to keep the identities of churches and people we discuss anonymous. The situations are used for examples. It's important that we tell these stories honestly, but we also don't want to mobilize angry people against those involved. That's not our place.
However, there are exceptions. We don't hesitate to name names that have been investigated well and are on the public record. If a documentary is made about it, then we are going to talk about it.
So, in general, we don't name names. if we do, it's well established and on public record. Even then, we try to only share things that will be helpful to our community. Not just to throw shade.
Like the last rule, this is a reminder that we are fighting the things that lead to spiritual abuse and church hurt, not people who make mistakes. We do our best to highlight broken and toxic systems in the evangelical church. Why? Because the are hurting people and leaving a wake of broken and bloodied bodies behind them. However, our goal is not to tear down everyone who is involved in these systems or makes a mistake.
Even for some really bad people, we try to maintain a curiosity about how they got there. How did they go from a call to ministry and wanting to help people to hurting people in the name of Jesus without a second thought. Our curiosity sows seed of empathy that keep our anger in check.
Conversation will take us places that consensus never will. Some of our greatest personal growth will come from uncomfortable and tense conversations. We talk, we listen, and we learn. That's the secret sauce of change and growth. So if you are looking for a pdo cast where you can agree with every point, then you will be let down. You won't agree with us on everything. Heck, we don't even agree with each other on everything. But we don't believe disagreement is bad. We believe it is what leads us to truth. So, we're after conversation, not consensus.
Our episodes are real and they can get spicy easily. Even so, our aim isn't shock factor. It's healing! The goal of every episode is to help people heal and to help churches become places for healing. We talk about it privately before and after each episode. How are we going to help people heal who are watching. When we can't we trash the episode. When we miss it, and we will inevitably miss it, we apologize, learn from it, and get better for the future.
Easy Christianese answers suck, so we don't give them. Worse, they often cause more harm than good. We do our best to give more guiding principles than easy answers. Regardless, we will keep it real. Our answers won't be easy and you may not like them, but they will be real. You can take that to the bank.
Whether you like us, hate us, or are ambivalent, we love you. We even love our haters and detractors. Everytime someone tries to tear us down on social media, it keeps the conversation real and keeps it going. It also keeps the algorithm pushing our content out further with every hateful comment. So keep them coming, and know we still love you.
The last rule is my favorite. We laugh often because it's like medicine to the soul! A lot of the topics we discuss on the podcast can get heavy quick. So we choose to laugh. You may not always feel like it's appropriate, but we choose to laugh anyway. We believe there is joy and healing on the other side of church hurt, so we choose laughter now.
Whinch rule is your favorite? Are there any you disagree with? Let us know either way. After all, we love the conversation and will love you either way. Haha!
About this blog
We are fighting for a future where spiritual abuse struggles to survive. Why? Because Christians and church leaders are so educated about spiritual abuse that they recognize it early and call it out quickly. When that happens, not only can God's people walk in healing, but spiritual abuse will only be able to survive in the darkest shadows and most hidden places. Spiritual abuse has no place in the Kingdom of God, and it's time for the Church to start calling our own fouls.
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